The expansion tank with brake fluid is located in the engine compartment. It has two chambers, one for each brake circuit. The lid of the tank has a vent hole that must not be clogged.
The expansion tank is transparent, which allows you to control the level of brake fluid in it at any time.
With the reservoir cap closed, the brake fluid level must not be above the MAX mark or below the MIN·mark.
Fill with DOT 4 brake fluid only.
Due to the wear of the disc brakes, a slight drop in the brake fluid level occurs. This is fine.
If, however, there is a strong drop in the level of the liquid within a short time, this is a sign of a leak.
The leak must be found immediately. As a rule, leakage occurs through worn cuffs of wheel brake cylinders. For safety, it is better to have this work done at a service station.
Checking the control lamp
Turn on the ignition, release the handbrake.
Remove connector -4- from expansion tank cap.
Press with your finger on the contact in the cover.
Have an assistant check in the cabin to see if the warning light is on. If not, check the wiring according to the wiring diagram.
Checking the thickness of the brake pads
When the brake pads of the front and rear wheels are worn out, a warning lamp lights up on the dashboard. In this case, immediate replacement of the brake pads is required.
Mark the position of the wheel disc on the hub so that you can then install the balanced wheel in its original place. Loosen wheel bolts.
Raise the car, remove the wheels.
Measure the thickness of the brake lining with a caliper, i.e. without the rear pad plate. On drum brakes or on a handbrake, this requires the removal of the brake drum or brake disc.
The wear limit of the front and rear disc brake pads is reached if the thickness of the brake pads is 2 mm.
The wear limit of drum brake pads is reached if the thickness of the brake pads is 1.5 mm.
When the wear limit is reached, replace the brake pads Be sure to replace all the pads on the same axle at once.
Note: A rough estimate of the service life of front disc brake pads is 1 mm pad wear per 1000 km. This rating is given for the most unfavorable operating conditions. Under normal use, pads last much longer. With front disc brake pad thickness of 10mm (trim plus back board) the remaining resource is at least 3000 km.
External inspection of the brake pipeline
An external inspection of the brake pipeline is carried out every 2000 km.
Raise the car.
Clean the brake pipe.
Attention: The brake pipes are covered with a plastic layer to protect against corrosion. If this layer is damaged, the tubes can rust. For this reason, do not clean the tubes with a wire brush, sandpaper or a screwdriver.
Check with a lamp-carrier pipelines from the main brake cylinder to the wheel brake cylinders. The master brake cylinder is located in the engine compartment under the expansion tank of the brake system.
The tubes must not be kinked or dented. There should be no places covered with corrosion or with abrasions. Otherwise, replace the tubing section up to the next connection.
Brake hoses connect tubes to wheel brake cylinders on moving parts of the vehicle. They are made of high pressure material but can crack, swell25- or be damaged by sharp objects over time. In such cases, they must be replaced immediately.
Bend hoses by hand to check for possible damage. The hoses must not be twisted. Observe the color markings on the hoses!
Turn the steering wheel left and right as far as it will go. In this case, the brake hoses must not touch the car parts.
The connection points of the brake hoses and tubes must not be wet with brake fluid.
Attention: If the expansion tank and gaskets are wet, this is not at all a sign of a defect in the brake master cylinder, most likely the reason is the leakage of brake fluid through the vent in the reservoir cap or through the cover gasket.
Checking the parking brake
The parking brake operates on vehicles with drum brakes on the rear wheels on 2 drum brakes on the rear wheels.
On vehicles with rear disc brakes, the parking brake is integrated like a drum brake into the disc brakes. Since the parking brake is rarely applied, corrosion of the brake discs or contamination of the brake pads may occur. Therefore, it is recommended to drive about 100 m at a moderate speed with the handbrake lightly applied before checking the parking brake.
Raise the rear of the car.
Tighten the handbrake lever 3 clicks. Turn both wheels by hand. You should feel a slight braking of the rear wheels.
Tighten the handbrake lever 5 clicks. The rear wheels should now be hard to turn by hand.
Otherwise, adjust the handbrake.
Lower the car.